In a typical aircraft landing gear, multidisc brake assemblies are installed on aircraft wheels to enable braking after an aircraft has touched down on a runway. Typically, these brake assemblies comprise a set of disc brakes permanently fixed to a wheel and a set of brake pads fixed to the leg or axle of the landing gear upon which the wheel is mounted. On application of the brakes, the brake pads push against the disc brakes creating a frictional force which acts against the rotation of the wheels, causing the aircraft to slow down.
In these configurations, rotation of the brake assembly, attached to the landing gear leg or axle is prevented by way of a brake rod or a brake flange (a series of bolts passing through a mount) integral to the landing gear leg. Accordingly, the torque produced when the brake is applied is transferred from the brake to the brake rod and/or bolts and reacted through the landing gear. This causes substantial stress and strain on landing gear components. Accordingly, aircraft landing gear are reinforced to withstand the significant torque created by application of the brakes, resulting in added weight and complexity. The stresses concerned also reduce the lifetime of the landing gear, in particular those parts active in reacting the braking forces.